Acero
Acero is a kingdom in the New World. It was formerly the center of the Dark Syndicate criminal alliance, as well as the headquarters of Zero, the leader of the automatons. General Information Compared to some of the other countries, Acero is a fairly young one, having been founded only a couple generations prior. It was originally a colony city of the great Drache Empire, but after the empire's collapse, it ruled itself, until it was declared its own kingdom. It is on a medium-sized Spring Island, and is surrounded by a large wall of volcanic rock. Acero is best known for its massive deposits of metal. According to Isabella, Acero has more metal under Irrompible than ten islands put together. This is partially why Zero decided to conquer Acero. Kingdom Information *Ruler: Queen Isabella; King Zero (former) *Important People: Halcón (former); Serpiente (former); Manuel (Minister of State); Franceso (Minister of Fiance); Draco (Captain of the Guard); Princess Ilia; Crown Prince Philip *Current Affiliations: Independent *Former Affiliations: Dark Syndicate; Hierro; Automatons *Poneglyph: None Landmarks and Cities Fuerte The capital of the kingdom. It is a sprawling metropolis, domianted by colossal royal palace in the center. While under Zero's rule, intircate tunnels and pathways were carved underneath the city, where he stored his army and warships. Irrompible A small city located on the Western edge of the kingdom, at the only direct path through the kingdom's natural walls. It is where the Straw Hats first land when arriving at Acero. Symbol The symbol of the kingdom of Acero, is silver, stylized arrow. While under Zero's command, he had the color changed to black. It is found on the kingdom's banner, and sometimes on the walls. Citizens Royalty *'Cortez' Isabella: Queen of Acero *'Cortez' Ilia: Princess of Acero *'Cortez' Philip: Crown Prince of Acero *'Zero': King of Acero (former) Royal Court *'Draco': Captain of the Guard *'Manuel': Minister of State *'Hernan': Minister of Finance *'Sara': Handmaiden History As nations go, Acero is young. It was one of the last colonies founded by the Drache Empire in its prime, but after the Empire's defeat, Acero essentially found itself ruling on its own. Eventually, it was declared a new nation, completely independent from any other organization. Due to its size, and its out of the way location, it was beneath the notice of both the World Government, and the Yonkou, and lived in peaceful solitude for years. It grew rich off its metal mines, and was able to build up its defenses substantially. Invasion of the Automatons Unfortunately, that age of peace was not to last, as it suddenly found itself under attack by the Automatons, commanded by Zero. Zero, who sought to bring the world to heel, decided to acquire a place where he could project his interests, and he deemed Acero a proper location, due to its vast metal deposits. Most of Acero's people had assumed that no one could attack their country due to its great walls, but the Automatons ability to fly rendered walls all around useless. The Automatons ravaged the whole country, before they arrived in Fuerte. King Carlos was killed by Zero himself, and Princess Isabella had to flee. Deeming it illogical to seek her out and kill her, Zero opted not to chase her. Rather, to keep her in line, Zero captured her younger sister, Ilia, and kept her close, as a warning of what would happen if Isabella got any ideas. With that, Zero declared himself King of Acero. His rule was tyrannical, and based on fear and intimidation. Zero's Sentinels would patrol the streets, and any hint of dissent was ruthlessly stomped out. Anyone condemend for treason would be hung from the walls for all to see, as a reminder of the price of insurgence. Trivia *"Acero" is Spanish for "steel". **Likewise Fuerte (the kingdom's captial) is Spanish for "strong" and Irrompible is Spanish for "unbreakable".